I want to see a good video of this band! There are little glimpses of them that appear on the Internet, but they are all badly recorded and just last for a few seconds. I want to understand how they do what they do.
The ten members of the Gangbe Brass Band from Benin in Africa must be at least double threats: brilliant brass stylists who are also members of the band's vocal choir that responds to the two or three lead vocalists I hear in the band's recordings. They have incredible percussionists in their ranks.
And they have at least one tuba player (or euphonium, or bass trombone???) who counts as one of best in the world on his instrument. Gangbe does it's stuff atop astounding bass lines that anchor their proceedings. There's no bass player in the band, just that low brass holding down the fort.
In this tune "Oblemou", you can hear how this band finds grooves, and then in a split second shifts and goes full tilt in another direction.
There's so much these guys could teach the rest of the world!
